birtherism nonsense. shameless. that's the word for it. it's the program of the party of abraham lincoln for 2012, do you believe it? i don't think he would be very proud of this stuff. it's incredible so many are. it's no way to win an electi. that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "thed show" stts rht n. good evening, americans and welcome to "the ed show" from new york. 42 days until the 2012 election aneight days until the first presidentialebate. president obama and millions of americans are calling on billionaire owners to get rid of scab refs and bring back t unwos. tonight i'm camming out mitt romney for attacking some other working professionals. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> i think governor romney and a number of folks try to politicize the issue and do a loof terashi hesi gafr mitt romney on education. and right on cue, mitt romney goes after the teachers. >> the teachers union has a responsibility to care for the

interests of the teachers. >> former governor howard dean and atlanta mayor react to mitt romney's educated mess. scott walker andaul ryan geobn biodgain unionusting. on why the nfl gets what it paid for. and on national voter registration day, ten million lati voters are in danger of being disenfranchised. we'll bring you the shocking details of a new report that could swing the election to mitt romney. being disenfranchised. we'll bring you the shocking details of a new report that could swing thelection to mitt romney. anorchto havyou with u americans are up in arms after a blown call in a football game. it's amazing what gets the country's attention. the nfl is in a labor mess because millionaires are trying to save a little money by busting the referee's union. i'll have more to say abt th

inewen but today we learned what kind of labor issue we will have on our hands if mitt romney is president. it will affect the future of education in this country. mitt romney participated in nbc's education nation summit today. the candidate had so few ifabfure plans for education he sounded more like a low-information voter than a candidate for president. >> education is about teachers, great leadership and parents. and the union has a different objective. it's fine for them to promote it it's not fine for us to go along with it. >> romney went back to this point many times in the interview. teachers unions are to blame for the educational system. president obama entered a counteoint. >> i thinkovernor romney and a erfotr politicize the issue and do a lot of teacher bashing.

when i meet teachers across the country, they are so devoted and dedicated to their kids. >> devoted, devotion, loving athaache abouton. but romney didn't say anything like that. they are the problem. many of romney's answers were superficial. one of hisig solutions for education reform is a new one that we have been talking about for 70 years p parental involvement. >> lto see parents very much evolved in evaluating the success of schools. if parenrs show up at parent/teacher night, kids are going to do fine. when a parent stepped up with a question, roey wasn't too happy with the parent's inemen >> new york city the parents here support the union to protect our kids tee to one over the mayor and the chancellor. this is not me. this is coming from a poll of parents. >> i don't believe it for a minu. i know something about polls,

and i know you can ask questions to get any answer you want. and i do know this. that having looked at schools, i know the teachers union has a responsibility to care for the interes of theeachers. >> so much for pents being ttneiddi believe the man for a second. folks, the poll does exist. it was cited numerous times by the romney campaign when the numbers are in their favor. he says polls can ask any question to get any answer you want. we got curious. what the heck kind of questions did they ask on this poll. who do you trust more to protect the interest of school students? mayor bloomberg or the teachers union? pretty straight forward. here are the results. 31% said theayor. 56% said the teachers union. when the question was asked only to people in the city who have dsn the blchoo, th gap was wider. 22% said mayor bloomberg. 69% said the union. more than three to one. this underscores how off base mitt romney is when it comes to the perception of teachers unions in america.

mitt romney is so confused on this issue he actually made the case for the teachers in chicago todain intvi >> education is done at the state level. the federal government provides funding for special needs unions in america. mitt romney is so confused on this issue he actually made the case for the teachers in chicago today in the interview. >> education is done at the state level. thfederal government provides funding for special needs students. >> it's just that easy, right? one of the main reasons the teachers went on strike for the first time in 25 years was because of resources and the lack of resources in the classroom. it's different throughout the city. ey c't afford to cut to federal and state funding.

they can't afford those cuts. that's exact what would happen if a mitt romney became president of the united states. the romney/ryan plan, here's the list, folks. cut pell grants for mo than nine million students, eliminate head start programs for two million children, and cut $5 billion in title one funding for low-income and special needs students. good plan? r iccaon because, you see, they have a different plan. >> g t a cer schools is if they fail, you close them. you invoke their charter. i believe that difference is one of the reasons charter schools has been able to improve the quality of education of those students who beat their path to the door. >> really? improve? a study showed charter schools are twice as likely to

derperform rathethan overperform. buo s en y can make a buck? we don't want to pay attention to stanford. speaking of money, this is the other reasonyan and romney, see i always put ryan's name first because that's really what the conservatives want. the reason why romney and ry wao h iccation, here it is. >> the teachers unions are able to continue tens of millions of dollars to the campaigns of politics and then those politicians when elected stand across from them at the bargaining table supposedly to represent the interests of the kids. i think it's a mistake. we have to get the money out of teachers unions. >> so that's what it's all about. it's aut t demra political base because, heck, a worker might have an opinion in the workplace that might want to contribute in the democracy that

this country offers, some people, not everybody. mitt romney is just like scott walker in wisconsin. he's just like every union-busting governor in america. they think everything can be solved bone thing and that's privatization. charter schools will come in and get it done. e erd wos are ns the ones who are getting the shaft. but wait a minute. what about the kids? romney -- it's not just romney, seriously. but romney is very flawed on this issue. this country needs to come to grips that you can go into poor neighborhoo andaise thucion problems are going to be fixed in america. we have to federally fund public education, no child left behind, the money never showed up to the districts around the country. conservatives don't want to fund it and the democrats don't have the political poweto make sure

tht d so that's why we have failing schools in this country. for the first time in 25 years, the teachers in chicago went on strike. th didn't go on strike because they thought they were getting screwed when icame to a paycheck. wontrike because they wanted to make sure that every classroom was properly resourced and every kid had a fighting chance to make it in america. mitt romney, if you want to draw the line here, really madehe case for the 47% in education today, don't you think? he willing to admit that some kids are just going to fail and we'll just blame it on the damn ns teas want to make more money. how repulsive it is. get your cell phones out. tonight's question. who do you trust to protect enbentts text a for president obama and b for mitt romney to 622639. you can go to our blog. we'll bring you results later on

in the the show. two gentlemen tonight, former governor howard dean and also carneeidyo atlanta, georgia. governor dean, you first. what is the republican view of public education? if i'mrong in my assessment, correct me. >> i like charter schools but foofha sls they have created some opportunities in the classroom. but i think this business about bashing teachers unions is insane. the people who say that they are innotors of education go in and trash the teachers, i don't know of anybody who has run a company successfully tt thing they do when they get there. i don't think the republicans give a damn about much except themselves. i'd like to know if mitt romney ever attended a public school. >> mayor, would cuts in education spending affect your city? and i raise the question this

way. you have some poor neighborhoods, every major metropolitan city in this cotry has some poor neighborhos, how should we fund those schl districts? e tndou where schools are having challenges and the federal government is playing a part under president obama. but let's be clear on why mitt romney is taking the position he's taking. becaushe wants to provide his friends a $5 trillion tax cut and he knows that he can't pay for that witut cutting public educio that's the bottom line. he wants to keep all of george bush's tax cuts for everyone and then he wants to add a $5 trillion tax cut as the ntral plank of his policy. and order to do that, he wot hesitate to despairage tel,y a part of the 47% that he believes jeopardize the performance of the country. that's why mitt romney is willing to cut education. >> governor, didn't mitt romney admit today it's about going after a voting bloc? >> that was a disgrace what he

said there. he's been nanc by e brrs w fhe fr their booty they take in from all over the place. i wouldn't mind being responsive to the millions of teachers all over america, at least they are real americans, opposed to these two americans using their mone to influence the election system. that was maybe the worst thing he said. said a lot of awful things, t th weapr r >>oratld d your state were to cut education again? how would you fund it? what would you do? where do mayors in big cities go now? >> fortunately, every time we have any referendum related to edation, our folksecide to inve. we would find a way to move forward. but that's not a healthy system

in america. folks are criticizing teachers unions need to realize tt 90% of all our kids are in public schools. i was a public school kid. blchwhtehers yem ir say, bring us all of your children. we can't forget that. and that's why mitt romney is losing. that's why he's losing nationally, and that's why he's losing in every swing state with the exception of perhaps north carolina. becaushe dsn'tdey me-s led and that's the ability to have an excellent school in their neighborhood with a competent, capable teacher with experience that the community knows and trusts. >> mayor and governor, great to have you with us. answer tonight's questions. share your thoughts on twitter and facebook. coming up, republicans don't mind inexperienced low-cost teachers teaching your kids, but

when it cos to nfl referees, etk ork.fis we'll have the latest on this unbelievable sports story that's captured the attention of the country and focused on how we treat workers in america. stay with us.

coming up, scott walker shows support for a union after a blown call cost the green bay packers a win. scott brown continues to attack his challenger over r heritage. and after tea partiers ousted senator dick lugar in the primaries, indiana republicans are struggling to keepis senate seat. i'll talk with the challenger congressman joe donnelly later in the program share your thoughts on facebook and twitter. we're coming right back. t there.

t there. - one serving of cheese is size of fr ce. one serving of cereal,

a baseball. and one serving of fruit, a tennis ball. - you know, both parties agree. our kids can be healthier... the more you know. welcome back to "the ed show." thanks for watching tonight. it's the blown football call the entire country is talking about. >>akes the long receiver to thlethckplt the goal line. wilson scrambles to keep it alive. the game's final play is a loft to the end zone, which is fought for by taet with jennings simultaneous. who will thegive it to? toucown! >> clearly a mistake. the final play on the game should have been ruled by an interception. the nfl released a statement today standing by the ruling on

the eld. nfl playerare more than agver is c packers quarterback aaron rodgers told his radio audience today the game is being tarnished by an nfl that obviously cares more about saving some money than having the integrity of the game diminished a little bi this story has blown up so much policians e geing the acd ngs. paul ryan was so outraged he's ready to change his position on organized labor. how about that? >> did you guys watch that ccer game last night? i mean, give me a break. it is time to get the real refs. anyoknow wt? it reminds me of president obama and the economy. if you can't get it right, it's time to get out. >> mitt romney also touched on the issue earlier today. >> i sure would like to see some experienced referees come back to the nfl playing field

>> paul ryan called those refs out today. are you glad he did that? ts f paul was angry that the packers, he believes they won and the refs took it away from them. >> push this button and i'll laugh. he has no clue. ryan isn't the only angry wisconsin politician. union-busting governor scott walker tweeted out after catching a few hours of sleep, thpaccer game is sll pafu rern the real refs. walker and ryan all of a sudden, aren't they for busting unions until it affects the outcome of their football team? this is unbelievable their reversal on this. president obama tweeted today. nfl fans on both sides of the aisle hope the refs lock out is settlesoon. i have to be faiabout this. ouavene ee that tweet about the chicago public school teachers. the story is about more than just a blown call. it's about labor. this is an issue that strikes at

the rye ha dth workers in this country. the broad republican philosophy is to do what? eliminate the unions to get cheap workers, go right to the bottom line. this is what the nfl is doing right now. they are getting wt they paid enert t'ow call, the nfl is holding firm against the refs. the main sticking point is job security. nfl owners want to be able to fire these refs whenever they want to. the same things pling t e? wi the chicago public school teachers. if you're not good, we're going to get rid of you. we don't need football. in the scheme of things, as far as other workers are concerned who are far more important, it's pretty important when it comes tocating your kid. hooue hehau tryohin very day? do you want replacement workers there? or how about the firefighters you trust in ergencies? first responders, do you want a

replacement team showing up that doesn't know what the hell is ing on? isk nfneov this is their power trip and they won't be backing down any time soon. they it probably made a calculated decision early on in the process that we're going to take some heat, but we're going to make a lot of money. let's stick together and live through it. t eowho do nfl games speak up and give their opinion. the nfl has got a pretty good hold on them. that's if they want to be around e league anymore. they are that strong. let's turn to william roden and eugene robinson, msnbc polal yst. with us tonight. eugene, you first. the nfl has an image problem on its hands and even politicians are wehing in on this.

i remember al davis before he passed away. he always believed the nfl is part of our culture in america. i guess we're finding that out. what do you make of the reaction? >> the reaion is incredible. maybe this is a teachae moment pecethb abns a about getting what you pay for. but you know, last night was a travesty. they blew that last call twice. there was an offensive interference that they didn't make. but it's going to get worse than this. with these inexperienc refs on the field who cannot control the ga, the violence ijust going to ireas w tads didn't get called and that's just going to increase. it's going to get out of hand and people are going to get hurt. >> bill, let me ask you about this story. is this an image problem for the league in the way they are handling it right now? >> in a way, but you hit the nail head many times about un. thnoate are as a country addicted to professional football. >> in a way, but you hit the nail head so many times about

unions. they know that we are as a country addict to professional football. ey we ld lni aay wve these people right where they want. are we going to watch the wnba playoffs? we're going to be watching sunday. we're going to come back. this is going to blow over t inu sothine no choice. i think have to be focused on this. we're in a battle. so as matter of principle, i don't like people who are scabs. i t wprsit is. i don't like people who will take advantage of someone being locked out to take their place. that's wrong and you have these billionaire owners and you're absolutely right. you're talking about this elecon. you ve tse blire owners who locked out the

players. why? because the american people are addicted to this sport. they are addicted to betting and they will come back. >> the hypocrisy i find just amazing. sct er a pauryt' shocking, they are willing to go along with union referees. >> it's amazing. it's absolutely amazing, ed e, the kind of change of color we have seen from the republicans on this. t yoknowitoio ve to be the owners that decide to do the right thing. you can't have a lot of faith they are going to because th basically already got their mone eir g y s television. >> they care about two things and that's asses in seats and eyes on the television screen. and the question is do you think this is going to affect how

people view the nfl saying i'm gog to stake a break from this stuff. >> rgs hr they have ever been. this makes more people want to be watching. >> so they are going to tune in to see if the reves are going to screw up this week? >> it's like a tremendous reality show. they are going to me back in gger numbers thursday and satuay. thl we lock these guys up all year. >> i admire aaron rodgers and some of the other players for speaking their mind on this. an injustice was done. there's probably going to come a time it's going to happen to every team. it's a cheaper product. i think we're talking about billionaires who don't want to do a little bit of pinching for some referees that want a little job security after they have contributed so much to the league in building it up over the years, they deserve better e aet sed getting shafted and great to have you gentlemen with us tonight.

coming up, a republican crown crosses the line. a senate candidate pin his hopes on a racial attack. e hothe strategy is backfiring next. and president obama holds a strong lead over mitt romney with latino voters but a new study finds that voter suppression laws could disenfrancse 10 million latino citizens. stay with us.

welcome back to "the ed show." the republicans have picked a weird strategy to win the most expensive senate race in the country. republican scott walker is doubling down on his claim that challenger elizabeth wren li abouing native amen. enwnamn stf y is wnd started taunting with racist chants. >> a boston television station says four of the people are member of scott brown's campaign staff. >> a boston television station says four of the people are member of scott brown's campaign staff. onrepoedly worn n' un ss teice. what are the grounds for firing in his office any way? brown says the chanting is

certainly something i don't condone, but he doesn't stop there. he actually repeats the attack, whined ser the first place. he says the real offense is that warren said she was white and then checked the box saying that she wanative american. then she changed her profile in her law directory once s me her nure sownsnan t about massachusetts' economy, education or health care. he's fixated on elizabeth warren's racial heritage. in fact, he's launching this new atck ad. and race is the first thing talked about the in debate. >>arren claimed she was a nave arica aso cor, a as u can see, she's not. i don't know, and neither do the viewers know, whether in fact she got ahead as a result of the checking of the box. >> senator brown is ther tied

or trailing in theatest polls, but he seems convinced this race issue will get him reelected. joining me is joan walsh, author of the book "what's the matter with white people?" great to have you with us tonight. i'm stunned at senator brown's office and their reaction to those chants. your thoughts on this. >> it's just another outbreak of frat boy conservatism. to go and mock someone's racial heritage like that and think that's okay. when i heard about the story, i thought, you know, they are some volunteers or overzealous republics. finout at fofm are on his staff, it's outrageous. but i was watching the debate and when he brought up this claim and he said, clearly she's not cherokee, look at her, i was like, what planet does this man live on where as a white man he

gets to say what her racial heritage and classification is? it's so ignorant. the title of my book "what's the matter with white people?" . i lovehite people, but what's the matter wcertain ite people scott brown demonstrate it is. he's obviously from a white world where you don't understand that people have varying kinds of ethnicity and they may not look the way you expect them to look and may photo be what they look like. you don't go arounputting yourself in char of deciding or sitting united states senator, or anybody for that matter, to not distance themselves from this, i find utterly amazing. does he think this is an upside that this is going to help him in the election? >> he clearly does. when i saw the debate i tweeted that it reminded me of jesse 'sllyio nete hands ad. white male anxiety and even resentment about minorities and women getting ahead because of affirmative action. you remember that ad. it showed whitmale hands crumpling a rejection lett and you deserved that job and you didn't get it because opponents supported affirmative action. but this is massachusetts ad. it's a swing state. i don't think itill work. i think it will bare

didn't get it because opponents supported affirmative action. umpling a rejection letter and you deserved that job and you didn't get it because opponents supported affirmative action. but this is massachusetts ad. it's a swing state. i don't think it will work. i think it will backfire. but he's oiously really desperat >> warren is appalled by the video but wouldn't go any further than that. the other thing is it's clear that senator brown is trying to set her up for being a liar, a character flaw, that she lied about her heritage on her application and when she got her tenure that she changed that in the law direory. spect that a little deep for >> it is.her this was an issue, "the boston globe" and harold did a lot of reporting about it in the spring. >> so he's scrambling? this is a guy in trouble.

it hasn't registered so f. she's got a really effective a where she says, scott brown s attk myilt i'in kp fighting for your family. that's what he's doing her brothers and sisters came out and said we were told the story of discrimination within our own family with those cherokee roots. so the idea that she's lying about what she is is really quite outreous and a sign of i think he could have retrieved himself if he fired some of those people on the video and made a clear statement. if it's about a candidate lying or if it's about heritage, but >> i think he could have retrieved himself if he fired some of those people on the video and made a clear statement. if it's about a candidate lying or if it's about heritage, but now he's gone along with the mocking. i fd mazi. ayh al, thyo

>> if you don't deport them, how do you send them home? >> the answer is self-deportation. people decide they could do better by going home because they can't find work because they don't have legal documentation. >> republicans are attempting to disenfranchise up to ten million latino voters in the fall. you'll never believe how they are trying to do it. that's next. >> thas quite a guy. >> and mitt romney shows how jealous he is of his running mate in ohio. you won't believe this priceless video. stick around. >> every now and then i'm known to make a mistake. i did not make a mistakeith this guy.

this is a big story. it's about voter suppression. welcome back to "the ed show." today was national voter registration day.

in a new study, it finds these efforts are needed now more than ever. particularly for latino citizens in america. the study released by the ncemt prect ndte sussn laws could disenfranchise ten million latino voters in 2012. the influence of latino voters have grown over the past ten years. the 21 million citizens represent 10% of eligible voters and it's projected this year the number could top 2llion vote or just over 12% of the tion's eligible voters. sicay, lino c play a decisive and major role and it'srocted this year t number could top 25 million vors ostr of nation's eligible voters. basically, the latino vote could play a decisive and major role in this presidential election. in a recent poll of voters finds president obama leading mitt romney 69% to 24%. detaite d oting powehas been

new republican-led state level voting restriction. the study finds voter purges being enacted in 23 states could affect voter registration and participation by latino citizens. in fact, in many states the number exceeds the margin of victory, exceeds the margin of victory in the last election 2008. that number could ow. itldw heaw aren't blocked. colorado and florida, the two states to watch, they are cited as identifying voters for possible purging by comparing their voter registrations with driver's license data bases. here's how it works. naturalized citizens receive their licenses when they were lel migrants. before they became naturaliz citizens, which means this use of outdated information

specifically targets naturalized citizens. tiiganey st turning eligible voters into second class citizens. let's bring in marie e ya theresa kumar, the president of voto latino. this is a big deal. what's the game plan? >> it's a huge deal. we're talking about americans who happen to be latino that will be disenfranchised from the es when you're talking about elections when only won by less than 1 or 2%, in north carolina president obama won the presidency with five votes per precinct. this is a close election. we're talking about a rise in the voter in florida, texas, estruss e having in six latinos will be disenfranchised. americans should be outraged. >> how many can you register between now and the next 40 days? that's really what it comes down to. >> absolutely. today is national voter registration day. 's historic. h0 etofte

today is national ter registration day. it's historic. we had 50 secretary of sta, both republican and democrats comi together saying we need thctto we have been able to register close to 100,000 individuals just today alone. we see a ground swell, but it's not enough. we need to make sure americans talk to each other about voter i.d. laws, prepare to go to the polls and make sure people realize at the ballot box it's about the american ver. 'mnggofla an this story. florida has set near impossible deadlines to prove citizenship. how does president obama win? how do t democrats get their vote out when they have these road blocks in frontf th? the general election is right arou the corner. >> it's around the corner, but folks have to get informed of what kind of i.d. they need. oneover the biggest problems in florida is they have done voter purges that have been stopped. they went after voters with

surnames sayinthey weren't sure if they were citizens or not. wee akrere communicating to our communities, understanding what the voter i.d. laws are and how to make sure we're gettinghose i.d.s. >> the numbers add up that this it could be the election. fair enough? >> this ae . the biggest problem is you can't change the rules in the middle of the game cause you're afraid of the outcome. you can't steal the vote. you oulde tryi to ay th and make sure they are participating. >> what do you make of what's going on in pennsylvania? pennsylvania voter i.d. could prevent one out of six latinos from voting. >> that's close to 250,000 americans disenfranchised at the polls. what's beautiful about it is you see organizations comi toer tg et i.d.s in the same process. the problem is that because of

these onerous i.d. laws, the state can't create the i.d.s fast enough for the folks that need it. this is an american issue. the fact you want to prevent an american from voting, we should be talking abo it every day. reo yit gh keep up the great work. coming up, mitt romney tries to lead a chant, but the crowd has other ideas. stay with us.

coming up, not only does mitt romney have to bus in his own crowd for events, now he has to lead the cheers. you don't want to miss this video. it's pretty entertaining. anin t bigin t's brand new senate seat in play for the democrats. indiana congressman joseph donly is polling ahead of the tea party opponent and this is richard lugar's seat who was primary. don't forget to listen to my radio ow ochannel 12monday througfrid andn prresse ta stations across the country noon to 3:00. follow me on twitter at @edshow and like ed on facebook.

you don't see this very

you don't see this very often. crowd reaction that we can play r for entertainment. presidential candidate mitt romney and his running mate paul ryan headlined a rally today in the state of ohio. they are doing this three-day bus tour because they think they can win the state. en rney t thcrow excid abt ry, here's what happened. >> paul ryan, he's something. wait a second, romney, ryan, romney, ryan, at's great. thank you. >> sums it up. the crowd goes wild for ryan evenegng ahanto ey has to g aho of is thing, get back in the picture. can i see that one more time? >> that's quite a guy, isn't it? paul ryan, isn't that something? wait a second, romney, ryan, romney, ryan. there we go. thank you.

wait a second, romney, ryan, romney, ryan. there we go. thank you. >> don't forget, i'm on top of y't gogean, it'se, mitt. asia. tonight in our survey, who do you trust to protect student's best interests? 98% of you said president obama. 2% said mitt romney. richard murdoch might be defeated in his senate race. stay tuned.

another big indication of why republicans should be worried. the indiana senate race is in play for a seat held by senator richard lugar since 1977. the democratic candidate is joe donly. he leads by three points in the ternal poll conducted by global strategy grou w mower dock defeated richard lugar in a primary and made clear he had no interest in negoating with democts or ybod >> to me the highlight of politics is inflict my opinion in front of a camera to win them over to my point of view. >> i have a mind set that it ought of consist of demoats coming to the republican point of view. hee oiftim on style and substance.

>> richard mourdock fights for sending jobs to china. we need more common sense. >> president obama won indiana use t y ago, but is not expected to win the state this time around. stgyto d dol tobama. >> hoosiers have a choice. continue down the path of donnelly and obama. >> joining me tonight is joe donnelly, the congressman from indiana who is challenging the tea party candidate. good to have you with us tonight. you're going up against the candidate whreally underor whington has been for the last couple years. does that play in your favor? >> yeah, he has been incredibly reckless, ed. one statement after another.

hoosiers are not buyg his extreme agenda. if you want to see the extremes to where he's gone, this is after the primary, he said lugar betrayed conservatives. lugar is an indiana hero. he worked nonstop to make th world safer by reducing nuclear weapons. we have seenust the comments that you said about chhaidice is unconstitutional, that social security is unconstitutional. he has said that employer health cares don't have to cover health care covers. it's been one after another. we havseen in the last few weeks richard has disappeared. and they are hoping to through the super pacs buy theenate seat. >> do you mi b tied to esidt oba cig he's putting out? or do you wear that as a badge of honor? >> i have been one of the most independent members of congress my entire time there. and so i have always said i respect president bush, i respect president obama and when president obama is right, i'll vo whid hno i won't. i vote on behalf of the people.

i think it's fair to say that in indiana both democrats and republicans, the most important thing we can do is stand up and do what's right for our country. >> why are republicans not coming to bat for richard? this is -- i don't see the fever pitch attitude for him i have seen in other races. >> because he insulted mr. republican. to me an american hero, richard lugar, before the primary and after the primary. hoosier republicans, hoosier democrats, they don't believe that medicare is constutiale do sa and don't believe that employer health care shouldn't cover cancer care. >> what about the outside money? is that a player? >> it is breathtaking. carl rove just dropped $1

million in the past few da for one week of television. and in indiana, that's like buying every commercial for the entire week. >> how does the automobile loan, does that play in your state? >> yeah, particularly for the fact that richard mourdock was the person to file suit for the liquidation of chrysler. he spent $3 million on new york lafieeil tam time that's indiana taxpayer money trying to destroy indiana auto jobs. and let me tell you from one end of the state to the other, workers across the state have said enough. we're proud to work in these jobs. and they know that it's not abt republican or democrat. it's who stood with them at crun t auto jobs. and let me tell you from one end of t state to e other, woers rosshe stee said enough. we're proud to work in these